Murder Takes Patience Read online

  Friendship and Honor: BOOK III

  MURDER

  TAKES

  PATIENCE

  Giacomo Giammatteo

  INFERNO PUBLISHING COMPANY

  Also by Giacomo Giammatteo:

  Fiction Books:

  Friendship & Honor Series:

  MURDER TAKES TIME: Friendship & Honor, Book I

  MURDER HAS CONSEQUENCES: Friendship & Honor, Book II

  Blood Flows South Series:

  A BULLET FOR CARLOS: Blood Flows South, Book I

  Finding Family, Blood Flows South, the Beginning (A Novella)

  A BULLET FROM DOMINIC: Blood Flows South, Book II

  Redemption Series:

  NECESSARY DECISIONS

  OLD WOUNDS (Coming late 2014)

  Non-Fiction Books:

  No Mistakes Careers

  No Mistakes Resumes, Book One of No Mistakes Careers

  No Mistakes Interviews, Book Two of No Mistakes Careers (early 2014)

  Sanctuary Tales (True Stories From An Animal Sanctuary)

  WHISKERS & BEAR (Coming soon)

  © Copyright 2014 Giacomo Giammatteo

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  INFERNO PUBLISHING COMPANY

  Smashwords Edition

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  For more information about this book, visit

  www.giacomogiammatteo.com

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  Print ISBN 978-1-940313-09-2

  Electronic ISBN 978-1-940313-08-5

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events herein are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: Spoilers for the first two books of this series are on the next page.

  If you want a refresher of who some of the characters are from the first two books, read the pages that follow. If you haven’t read the first two books, you might want to.

  Police:

  Frankie “Bugs” Donovan — Nicky Fusco’s best friend from childhood. Now a Detective in Brooklyn.

  Lou Mazzetti — Frankie’s partner

  Sherri Miller — Frankie and Lou’s partner from book 2.

  Lieutenant Morreau — Frankie’s boss

  Carol — Admin in Homicide Department

  Kate Burns — Medical Examiner, and Frankie’s girlfriend.

  Alex — Young boy who Frankie took in after his mother abandoned him.

  Keisha — Alex’s friend in the apartment building.

  New York Mobsters:

  Dominic Mangini — Head of one of the Five Families (Also appears in Blood Flows South series)

  Manny Rosso — Head of one of the Five Families. Was underboss to Tito Martelli in book one.

  Tito Martelli — Was head of one of the Five Families.

  Fabrizio — hit man for Dominic Mangini.

  Giorgio — Works for Manny Rosso.

  Wilmington, DE. Characters:

  Nicky “the Rat” Fusco — former hit man trying to go straight.

  Doggs Caputo — local mob boss in Wilmington, DE

  Monroe — leader of a black gang in Wilmington. Served time with Nicky in prison.

  Angela Fusco — Nicky’s wife

  Rosa Fusco — Daughter of Angela and Nicky

  Sister Mary Thomas — Nun who taught Nicky and Frankie

  Paulie “the Suit” Perlano — childhood friend of Nicky and Frankie

  Rules of Murder

  A reader emailed me and asked if there would be any more books with Nicky and Frankie. I thought I had mentioned this before, but for those of you who don’t know.

  There will be at least six books in the Friendship & Honor series—one for each of the “rules of murder,” as outlined by Gianni “Johnny Muck” Mucchiato in Murder Takes Time. Each book’s title is one of the rules.

  1. Murder takes time—Never rush. Know what you are going to do before, during, and after the job. Know your victim. Their face. Routines. Neighborhood. Family.

  2. Murder has consequences—When doing a job you must never, ever, let it get personal. Each assignment is just a job. If it gets personal, it will have consequences.

  3. Murder takes patience—If someone has a routine, trust it. Wait them out, and it will pay off. As for yourself, never be predictable. Don’t shop at the same place. Don’t eat at the same place. Don’t do anything at the same place or at the same time or on the same days.

  4. Murder is invisible—To be good at this, you must be invisible. And since you can’t really be invisible, you have to practice not being noticed. There is a difference between being seen and being noticed. If you have to break rule number three, make sure you adhere to rule number four.

  5. Murder is a promise—If you enter into a deal to murder someone, that is a promise, a secret pact. Once you take the assignment, you need to finish the job, or it could come back to haunt you.

  6. Murder is immaculate—Don’t leave any clues, and make sure you clean up loose ends.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: A Strange Goodbye

  Chapter 2: Alarms and Early Mornings

  Chapter 3: Bacon and Eggs

  Chapter 4: A Special Favor

  Chapter 5: Following

  Chapter 6: Judgment

  Chapter 7: Looking for Alex Greene

  Chapter 8: Strange Positions

  Chapter 9: Not Many Clues

  Chapter 10: Analyzing the Evidence

  Chapter 11: Welcome Home

  Chapter 12: Back in Training

  Chapter 13: A Little Bit of Planning

  Chapter 14: A Few Questions

  Chapter 15: All the President’s Men

  Chapter 16: A Call to Uncle Mario

  Chapter 17: Memories

  Chapter 18: No Answer

  Chapter 19: Scene of the Crime

  Chapter 20: You Can’t Hide a Secret

  Chapter 21: A Few More Questions

  Chapter 22: Narrow the List

  Chapter 23: A Friendly Visit

  Chapter 24: Family Dinner

  Chapter 25: The Fruit Stand

  Chapter 26: Chasing Leads

  Chapter 27: An Unwelcome Guest

  Chapter 28: Roughing It

  Chapter 29: Help

  Chapter 30: The Hospital

  Chapter 31: Bad News

  Chapter 32: Cantaloupe Girl

  Chapter 33: Back to New York

  Chapter 34: A Late-Night Visit

  Chapter 35: Calling In a Favor

  Chapter 36: A Visit with Kate

  Chapter 37: Run for Your Life

  Chapter 38: Some Wounds Never Heal

  Chapter 39: A Morning at the Park

  Chapter 40: Dealing With the Consequences

  Chapter 41: A Convenient Alibi

  Chapter 42: No More Suspectsr />
  Chapter 43: Sister Thomas’s Rules

  Chapter 44: Another Interview

  Chapter 45: Watching

  Chapter 46: Digging Through Trash

  Chapter 47: Checking Alibis

  Chapter 48: A Special Assignment

  Chapter 49: Seeking Permission

  Chapter 50: Back to Life

  Chapter 51: Get Rid of the Evidence

  Chapter 52: Another House

  Chapter 53: Tracking the Tracker

  Chapter 54: A Dinner Guest

  Chapter 55: Luck of the Irish

  Chapter 56: An Unlikely Lead

  Chapter 57: A Body to Spare

  Chapter 58: Gatto e Topo (Cat and Mouse)

  Chapter 59: An Ultimatum

  Chapter 60: Old Habits Die Hard

  Chapter 61: Blackmail Works Both Ways

  Chapter 62: Recovery

  Chapter 63: Point of No Return

  Chapter 64: Traps are Meant to Work

  Chapter 65: Tying up Loose Ends

  Chapter 66: A Quiet Night Alone

  The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.

  ~ Dante Alighieri

  Thoughts

  Even good people are haunted by nightmares. Some people are kept awake by things they did in the past: Lies they told, people they cheated, laws they broke.

  The worst people are haunted by more than lies or broken laws. Their sleep is stolen by the people they killed.

  I’m not like any of them. I’m not bothered by lies, or broken laws. Not even by the people I’ve killed.

  What keeps me awake is thinking of the people I haven’t killed yet.

  ~ Nicky Fusco

  CHAPTER 1

  A Strange Goodbye

  Brooklyn, New York

  Debbie Parnell’s alarm blared, and then a second alarm went off, insurance against her falling asleep and missing the meeting. The combo pried her out of bed. She stumbled to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, dressed in a dark-blue business suit, then glanced at her watch. Plenty of time for coffee.

  While waiting, she dialed Chad.

  “Why are you calling me at this time of morning?”

  “I knew you’d be up; rising stars don’t sleep in.”

  “Neither do falling stars,” Chad said. “What do you need?”

  “Nothing really, I was just calling to give you the privilege of driving me to the airport.”

  “I thought you had an early appointment in Brooklyn.”

  “I do, but I was hoping you could drive me to the airport after I finished. We could use the time to catch up on work.”

  She heard him sigh and knew what was coming. “As much as I’d love to, I can’t. I have to interview someone this morning, and it’s in the opposite direction. And I have no idea how long I’ll be.”

  “In that case, I better get ready. See you when I get back.”

  “Have a safe trip,” Chad said.

  Debbie finished her coffee, stuffed a few more items into her suitcase, double-checked which outfits she packed, and then set everything by the door. Within twenty minutes the driver arrived and she was in the car on her way to the meeting. Traffic was horrendous.

  “What’s holding us up?” she asked.

  “An accident near the bridge,” the driver said.

  “You need to find a way around this. I’m cutting it close.”

  At the next traffic signal, he turned and detoured through Brooklyn Heights. As he passed a brownstone, Debbie caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of her eye.

  Chad?

  She was tempted to roll down the window and holler to him. The man stood on the steps of a house, and it looked as if he was using a key to open the door. What’s he doing? He doesn’t live here. Her curiosity was piqued. She typed a message on her phone and emailed it to herself.

  What is he doing in BH?

  It took 25 more minutes to get to her meeting, and the whole way she wondered if that was Chad she saw, and what he was doing in Brooklyn Heights, at that house. He said he had an interview.

  Debbie finished her meeting on time, and arranged for a car to drive her to the airport. After going through security and settling in to a comfortable chair at the lounge for frequent flyers, she dialed Bruce.

  “What’s up?” he asked. “Anything wrong?”

  “No. Nothing’s wrong. But something strange happened on the way in.”

  “Tell me.”

  “We hit traffic, and the driver detoured through Brooklyn Heights. I could have sworn I saw one of my coworkers entering a house there.”

  A slight pause followed, and then Bruce said. “Maybe they forgot something. Or—”

  Debbie’s voice raised. “No. You don’t understand. The person doesn’t live there.”

  Bruce laughed. “Deb, I know you’re under a lot of stress, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Get on your flight, relax, and focus on a successful trip.”

  “Jesus Christ! You don’t take anything seriously. We’re in the middle of a huge deal. We can’t risk exposure of any kind.”

  “I do take things seriously—important things. The rest I leave for you to worry about.”

  “Screw you. This is important. Suppose this hints at insider trading.”

  “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry I trivialized it.”

  “What should I do? Should I tell Bob?”

  “I wouldn’t. It could be something as innocent as an affair, if you want to think of that as innocent. And if it is something fishy, you don’t want to be involved. You could end up getting hurt.”

  Debbie switched the phone to her other ear and leaned back in the chair. “Maybe you’re right,” she said.

  “I know I’m right, but I’m amazed you’re admitting it.”

  Debbie laughed. “Okay, you convinced me. I won’t say anything. At least until I get back.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “I already told you. Two weeks.”

  “I forgot. So relax and have a great trip. I miss you already.”

  “Miss you too,” Debbie said.

  CHAPTER 2

  Alarms and Early Mornings

  One week later—Brooklyn, New York

  Shortly before 6:00 AM he poured a cup of coffee and enjoyed the first taste of sunlight as it squeezed through the slats of the wood blinds. He read the paper, finished dressing, then made his way down the stairs to the street. He liked to take a second cup of coffee with pastry at a café a few blocks away. It was a good place to sit and watch. The waitress led him to an outside table.

  He smiled. “Nice morning, isn’t it?”

  Her return smile was instantaneous, but forced. “Very nice. It’s about time we had sun.”

  “Yes, it is,” he said. “I’ll have—”

  “Coffee and a scone, right?”

  His smile vanished. She’d picked up on his patterns. How did she know I wanted a scone today? “You read my mind.”

  “Be right back,” she said and scurried away.

  He watched her go, checking to see if she talked to anyone.

  A couple at the table to his left chatted in low voices. From the tone, and the aggressive posturing, he could tell they were arguing.

  The couple to the right were laughing. They seemed happy.

  He turned his attention to the pedestrian traffic, but kept his eye on the time. Fifteen minutes had disappeared, along with his scone and coffee. The waitress hurried by, barely slowing down as she dropped his check on the table. His cursory “thanks” trailed in the air behind her. He wondered if today would be a wasted day.

  As the thought ruminated, the unmistakable sound of high heels clicking on the old brick walkway caught his attention. There was a rhythm to the sound, as if the owner of those heels was avoiding the cracks in the herringbone pattern. He tried not to look but curiosity yanked his head around. She was still forty or fifty feet away, heading in his direction. The sight of her stir
red another thought.

  What eles is it about the sound of those heels?

  There was noise on the street—cars driving by, other people walking, horns blaring. Why did those heels intrigue him?

  A peculiar beep drew his focus down the street. He didn’t know why; lots of horns were beeping. This one sounded…different. He had listened to enough of them over the years. Each had a unique sound—impatience, anger, graciousness, aggression. This one was…a polite beep. A draw-your-attention type beep. The high-heeled woman turned toward the sound of the beep then walked to the car. She leaned in and kissed the man driving. A goodbye kiss. A peck on the cheek.

  Had she forgotten to kiss him? Did she not love him anymore?

  As he wondered about the dynamics of that relationship, the car pulled away and merged with traffic. The clicking sound of her heels resumed, consuming him.

  Of all the noise on the street why had her heels drawn his attention? They shouldn’t have, and yet…they did.

  Karma, he thought.

  She walked toward him, her long tanned legs, cute-as-a-button ass, and confident strut building an image of the perfect woman. Blonde hair danced on her shoulders with each step. Even from forty feet away he could sense the vibrancy, see the smile, feel the warmth.

  As she drew closer, the outline of her body under that too-tight skirt screamed—look at me. It did the job. He was looking, along with everyone else.

  A small piece of paper blew across the walk, in front, and then behind her. When she stooped to pick it up he got a glimpse of perfection. He imagined she wasn’t wearing panties. That’s when he decided she would be the one. If everything else fit, she would be the perfect candidate.

  He made a note of the time as she continued down the street, swinging her hips with a subtle invitation. He wanted to follow her. Get right up behind her and crawl up her skirt. Not today though. He had rules. Besides, he’d memorized the car’s plate. Even if she didn’t come this way again, he’d find her.